Alabama Men's Tennis Enters NCAA Tournament Against Top-Ranked Te

The Alabama men's tennis team will start their NCAA Tournament with a trip to California this Friday.

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The Crimson Tide square off against No. 25 Pepperdine in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The matchup will take place in Stanford, California, at noon central time.

This season, Alabama finished with 15 wins and 12 losses under head coach George Huscak. The Tide is led by Filip Planinsek, a four-time All-Southeastern Conference Team member and 2024 NCAA Singles Champion. Planinsek, who took the fall off to play professionally and missed part of the spring for the Davis Cup, has a 16-3 overall record at No. 1 singles and is rated 19th nationally heading into the NCAA Tournament. Damien Nezar and Andrii Zimnokh have climbed into the top-15 national rankings in doubles, starting Friday's match at No. 14 after a 15-6 overall record and a 6-2 run from No. 1.

Additionally, Planinsek and Matic Kriznik rank 37th nationally in doubles play, while Roan Jones ranks 81st in singles competition. The Tide has battled this season, fighting to a 4-3 score in 12 matches, including four of the last five tournaments. Notable 4-3 victories from the year include wins over then-No. 15 Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, and Auburn, as well as a 4-3 win over Vanderbilt in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

Huscak and his team turn their focus to the Big Dance now. It is the Tide's second consecutive year reaching the tournament, following securing a spot in the Big Dance in 2024.

Huscak commented on the season and the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Always an honor to compete in May. We've had shining moments this year and I'm proud of the guys for earning this opportunity. It's never an automatic invite. Our countless 4-3 battles this season have given us thicker skin and the confidence that we can compete well no matter the challenges. It has been a full team effort and included many hands not holding a tennis racket that have kept us moving forward

Huscak's connection to Stanford is an interesting one. The leader of the Crimson Tide commented on Palo Alto and more.

On a personal level it's a homecoming. I grew up twenty minutes from Palo Alto and also lived near campus for many years. I attended tennis camps, saw my first college match and was lucky to win a national team championship (with USC) all at Stanford. So, lots of memories there as well as family and friends all over the Bay Area. Pepperdine has a long tradition of success as I competed against them annually in my three previous coaching stints (USC, Illinois & Santa Clara). They are very well coached, are tough competitors and a tight team. I'm excited for us as it should be a great match. March had its madness and now it's time for our May-hem.

Under Pepperdine Director of Tennis Adam Shaechterle, this will be the program's 43rd NCAA Tournament trip and fifth overall. Pepperdine finished 16-10 in the regular season, with seven wins over NCAA Tournament opponents and two upsets over Columbia and Texas A&M, both of which received top-16 seeds. Pepperdine was ranked as high as 19th in the ITA polls and has consistently been a top-30 team this year.

Palo Alto has historically played an important role in Pepperdine men's tennis. The Waves won the NCAA title in 2006 at Stanford's Taube Tennis Center, and they also won first-round matches there in 2009 and 2010. The Waves will play in Stanford's new venue, the Taube Pavilion at Arrillaga Tennis Center, which debuted earlier this spring.

The match between the Tide and Waves will be the series' 11th meeting and the first since 2019. The team that prevails in Friday's match will go on to the tournament's second round, where they will face the winner of the match between the host school, fifth-ranked Stanford, and New Mexico.

The 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships will be held at Baylor University's Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas, from May 15 to 18.

Chase Brumfield is the morning producer and writer for Tide 100.9. He is currently a senior studying communications at Mississippi State University. Follow Chase for more Alabama content on X at @cb3864.